


Sugar, and Spice, and All Things Nice

by axrxvis



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, I know I KNOW, Slow Burn, but im trash for a good coffee shop au and so i made one myself, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 15:04:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14107971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axrxvis/pseuds/axrxvis
Summary: It was inevitable the day Gilbert started his job at Avonlea's only coffee shop. He would one day use coffee to woo a girl, unfortunately the girl he picked was Anne Shirley. She was not so easily wooed.Betaed by the lovely royalcordelia on tumblr! Go follow her, she's a gem!(crossed posted on wattpad under same name)





	Sugar, and Spice, and All Things Nice

**Author's Note:**

> It was inevitable the day Gilbert started his job at Avonlea's only coffee shop. He would one day use coffee to woo a girl, unfortunately the girl he picked was Anne Shirley. She was not so easily wooed.
> 
> Betaed by the lovely royalcordelia on tumblr! Go follow her, she's a gem!

Following Gilbert and his father’s return home from Alberta, he had immediately looked into getting a job. While John -- though sickly -- was able to make a good profit with his orchard, Gilbert intended to work his way through school. Medical school was shaping up to be more expensive than they could afford. He would find a way to make do. Even if that meant acquiring a job at 16, and working while the rest of his friends were messing around. Especially, perhaps, since he had come back to an Avonlea where Charlie and Moody listened and even cared about what Billy Andrews had to say.

This job was easily found at the local coffee shop, not a Starbucks -- a homegrown, family owned, cozy little place. Josie would tease him, say “You’re just too much of a hipster to consider working at a Starbucks!” but the reality is that Avonlea - lovely, little Avonlea that he was so glad to see again- was too little to have something even as common as a Starbucks. 

The coffee shop was a quaint little thing called Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice. The owners named it that in irony, because have you seen some of Avonlea’slittle girls? Clearly not all were made of sugar, that was certain. The townsfolk all affectionately called the place Sugar.

Margie Gillis, the eldest of the many Gillis sisters, owned said coffee shop. She and her husband, Tuck, ran it themselves, and were happy to have the young boy on the team. The first days it seemed the most difficult and confusing task he had ever faced. Gilbert burned his hand too many times to count, and once even scalded poor Ruby’s milk. (Not that she complained, but he was sure she was just being polite. He really wasn’t cut out for this coffee thing.) Thankfully his hands got steadier, and within the next couple days he was making espresso, and frappés, and all sorts of silly drinks with ease.

Margie said she had never seen someone catch on as quick as he did, called him a prodigy, but Gilbert still remembered that first day. The day he thought he’d quit. Thank goodness he hadn’t, because this job was how he met the most important person, likely ever.

His days were so busy, at first he didn’t even have time to really think about the new girl. In another life, or another universe, he would have seen her and immediately been drawn in. In that life, he’d had no coffee shop job, a bruised cheek, and Anne had been down a whiteboard. Instead he made some coffees, Anne got laughed at by Josie Pye, and no meeting occurred. 

That was, until the first geometry test approached. On account of the struggles geometry provided, Anne eagerly took up Diana’s offer of a study date. They set the day for Saturday, and the place -- Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice. Gilbert left at 7 for work, kissing his father’s pallid forehead before setting out.

At 9:00 on the dot, the new girl, Annie or Ally or something of the sort, entered Sugar. Gilbert smiled politely, then grinned at the sight of Diana Barry. Diana had the sort of personality that made you just grin. She was the sweetest girl he’d likely ever meet. 

At 9:00 (because Diana, for some odd reason, thought 8 was too early to meet) Anne went into Sugar, a cheery Diana trailing her. Diana brightened at a boy standing at the register. Anne knew his name because Diana had mentioned it a few times, remarking “Gilbert is quite handsome, don’t you think?” And “Gilbert is so very smart! Smartest in the class, I reckon” and so forth. Now, Anne was not quick to jealousy, but somehow Gilbert Blythe had stolen some of Diana’s heart. Not all that much, but Anne was still wary.

“Gilbert! I forgot you were working here, what a pleasant surprise!” Diana donned her best surprised face because she certainly had known he was working at Sugar. The botched latte art he made Ruby had been her only topic of conversation for a week. “Have you met Anne? She’s new to Avonlea.”

Gilbert smiled politely at Anne, and she wondered if he was inwardly making fun of her. She considered it likely, boys as pretty as him were seldom nice to her. (Really, he was wondering how he had not remembered Anne. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.)

“Nice to meet you, Anne. What can I get you guys?” As both girls’ eyes left him to look at the menu, Gilbert took that time to really examine Anne.

Diana giggled, “I think, well--” stuttering over her order, “I might have the, well, the Caramel Frappuccino -- err, macchiato? Which is blended?” She looked thoroughly confused, and a patient Anne took over for her.

“A Caramel Blender, espresso or no?” She turned to Diana, who again looked extremely confused. “Espresso is the coffee, do you want coffee in it?” Anne explained, and Gilbert was happy to see not even a bit of annoyance in her towards Diana.

Diana sighed with relief at the rescue, “Coffee please! Oh, and whipped cream too!” and let Anne carry on taking care of matters.

“Alright, with espresso -- and whipped cream, and I will have a latte -- hot.” She and Diana started for their purses.

Gilbert looked down at Diana’s cup, and started to draw. He thought it might be nice to leave Diana a flower or something sweet. She seemed stressed. “Any flavors? We have all of these.” He pointed at a sign near the front, “and Margie suggests the Cinnamon Honey right now, since it’s cold out and all.” And then he pointed to Margie’s hand painted sign, for her Very Special Special. 

Anne smiled at the sweet painting, and laughed. “One Very Special Special for me, then. Oh, please, when you write my name. Could you be sure to spell Anne with an E?” her eyes now were begging more than anything. Gilbert nodded slowly.

The two girls moved away, and Gilbert was caught by a moment of inspiration. He knew what he could do to get her attention! Diana already had a simple little flower, he’d draw something cute for Anne as well. It took him no time to pick, as the magnificent color of her hair drew him in instantly. He decided to be playful and draw a little carrot, as well as write “Hey, Carrots!” on her cup.

He spent extra time being careful that the tulip of steamed milk looked as good as he could get it. Truthfully, he would have liked to start over, but Margie had been watching the entire time as she made Diana’s drink. It would have been much too obvious. He watched the two in the corner as he shook cinnamon over the drink. 

They were sitting across from one another, and he could only see Anne’s braids. They were very pretty, the color leaves turn in the autumn. She obviously was interesting and funny, seeing how she had Diana practically enraptured.

“Diana and Anne! I have your drinks,”he announced. Thankfully the coffee shop was dead, so he was able to see Anne’s reaction in person, it went a little differently than he’d expected. “Ah, here you go Anne. One Very Special Special -- for someone special.” And then to add icing to the cake, he winked.

Anne’s cheeks nearly turned the color of her hair, but as soon as she caught sight of her cup and Gilbert’s note, the two truly matched. She looked up once, and he smiled big (and hopeful too). Her look was not a blush, he realized belatedly. It was a glare.

“You mean, hateful boy! How dare you make fun of my hair!” 

Then, obviously without any forethought, she tossed the still unlidded coffee at him. He was soaked thoroughly and the entire shop was stock-still. Her eyes got wide, and she seemed to realize what she had just done. Before Gilbert could explain and smooth things over, she was gone. She ran out without even grabbing her bags. Diana quickly grabbed their things and chased after her.

So there stood Gilbert, soaked with burning coffee, but it didn’t hurt all that bad. The thing that hurt the most was all the effort he had put into her coffee, and she had just tossed it right back at him.

“My goodness! I just can not believe that someone raised by Marilla Cuthbert, of all people, would behave like this! Those two are out of their minds, adopting a girl when they seem to know nothing about discipline!” Margie took to dabbing him with cold water. A few older patrons seemed to offer their agreement.

He grimaced guiltily, “Well I suppose it’s not all her fault.” At this, Margie raised exactly one brow at him. “I teased her! I really shouldn’t have, and she probably thought it was mean teasing.”

Of course at this Margie shook her head, “You? Mean? The girl must be deluded then, because that’s highly unlikely.”

And again Gilbert started to look guilty. “I mean, maybe? I’m not mean, but I’d bet Billy’s been giving her a rough time of it. She probably expected I was like him.” He looked a bit shamefaced at his failure to ever intervene.

Margie shook her head at him, “You are the oddest boy I know, Gilbert Blythe, but the kindest as well.”She smiled at him again. “Well you’d better go on home. Lord knows you need a new set of clothes. Take the rest of the day off, and we’ll see you after church tomorrow!”

He took off eagerly, happy to go home, change clothes, and check on his father. Margie, starting to mop up the ill-fated drink, smiled ruefully. Perhaps the name, while ironic when it comes to those like Josie Pye, held a bit of truth for Gilbert Blythe. Loathe as she was to admit it, Tuck’s name suggestion truly had been better than hers… damn him.

-

Meanwhile, an unhappy Diana caught up with Anne. “Anne, how could you? Gilbert was only teasing! He teases all the girls!” At this she looked imploringly at Anne, begging her to relent. She pulled Anne’s arm close to her.

Anne turned away, turning her pretty little nose to the sky, and pulling her arm back. “He teased my hair, and for that I shall never forgive him! The iron has entered my soul.” At this, Diana who was unseen by Anne, secretly rolled her eyes.

“You know he didn’t mean it to be mean! Why, he probably likes your hair! I know I do!” And Diana took Anne’s arm, and this time she let her.

She looked down at Diana now and snorted, “You don’t know what you’re saying. Red hair is a curse, and I doubt he could ever like it. I certainly never can. And Billy is always saying awful things about my curtains and drapes - which since I’m 15, I can assure you I have no clue as to their meaning, of course.” (In fact she did, and was a bit shameful about the knowledge.) “And I’m sure Gilbert is no different.”

Diana shook her head, and the two turned down the lane to their homes. “Oh, but he is. He’s much nicer than the other boys! Even if he does sometimes tease!”

They had now reached Diana’s drive way, Anne took this opportunity to pat her shoulder helpfully. “Oh Diana, you sweet, naive clownfish,” but before she could leave it at that Diana whipped around. 

“That’s not even a good one, do better next time!” she called out as Anne walked further down the lane. “You need to get on magnificent musk ox level!” The two parted, by now both grinning.

Anne considered what Diana had said, perhaps Gilbert had not been making fun of her hair. She shook her head, no she would not forgive him. He had hurt her feelings. Besides, Josie and Ruby would tear her apart if they knew she now understood what they meant when they spoke of his handsome features. It would just have to remain her darkest secret.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, umm, I love these two with my whole heart. I honestly love this so much and if you did to come tell me about it @ oh-annegirl on tumblr or oh.annegirl on instagram!


End file.
